Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Got Obamacare? Get Ready To Start Paying A Lot More For Your Premiums
The Hill: ACA Premiums Set To Spike
The proposed rates are preliminary and could change before being finalized in late summer. The analysis includes proposed rate changes from 312 insurers in all 50 states and DC. It’s the largest rate change insurers have requested since 2018, the last time that policy uncertainty contributed to sharp premium increases. On average, ACA marketplace insurers are raising premiums by about 20 percent in 2026, KFF found. (Weixel, Choi and O’Connell-Domenech, 8/6)
Bloomberg: Arkansas Governor Seeks To Oppose Health Insurance Premium Increases
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she would oppose premium increases from health insurers including Centene Corp., an early sign of the political maneuvering that’s likely to follow instability in insurance markets. Some companies are requesting average rate increases of more than 50%, according to the Arkansas Insurance Department. (Tozzi, Cohrs Zhang and Swetlitz, 8/6)
More on the high cost of insurance and prescriptions —
The Hill: U.S. Chamber Loses Appeal On Medicare Drug Price Case
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a lower court’s ruling to dismiss a challenge to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, finding once again that the parties involved did not have standing to sue. Almost exactly one year ago, a federal judge dismissed the Chamber’s lawsuit challenging the Medicare negotiation program established through the Inflation Reduction Act. (Choi, 8/6)
CPR News: A New Strategy Emerges To Reform Health Care — Ballot Measures In Multiple States To Provide Insurance For Everyone
The elevator pitch is simple, said one of the organizers, retired journalist T.R. Reid. “The United States ought to provide health care for everybody. We're never going to get it done on a national basis because Congress is owned by the insurance companies and Big Pharma,” he said. The way to get it done, Reid believes, is by winning ballot measures in multiple states, all in the same election – to remake the health care system. Like women's suffrage, child labor laws and legalized marijuana, Reid said, once one or two states do it, others will follow. (Daley, 8/4)
News-Medical.net: Adopted Children Face Unequal Access To Health Coverage Based On Adoption Type
People in America adopt hundreds of thousands of children every year, but not all of them receive health insurance once adopted into their second home. A study by University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Health, out today in Health Affairs, reveals major differences in coverage depending on adoption type (domestic or international) and citizenship status of the adoptive parent. "Our study, which considered four types of adoptee, found a very high uninsured rate for some adopted children – particularly those adopted internationally by non-citizens living in the United States," said study co-author Jamie Fleishman. The study found that almost one-third (30.7%) of the children in this group has no health insurance at all. (8/4)
KFF Health News: Watch: Millions Of Americans Live Where Telehealth Is Out Of Reach
As the federal government reworks rules for a $42 billion broadband expansion program, millions of Americans live in places where there aren’t enough health care providers and internet speeds aren’t good enough for telehealth. A KFF Health News analysis found people in these “dead zones” live sicker and die younger on average than their peers in well-connected regions. (Tribble, Hacker and Jackman, 8/7)
SHRM: What Venus Williams’ Health Insurance Comments Indicate About COBRA
After being sidelined from competitive tennis for 16 months due to health issues, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams made her comeback in July at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, D.C. But it wasn’t just her love of the game that brought the 45-year-old superstar back. It was also the health care coverage. “I had to come back for the insurance,” Williams quipped about the Women’s Tennis Association’s health coverage after her first-round win in Washington. “They informed me earlier this year I’m on COBRA. I was like, ‘I got to get my benefits on.’ Started training. I’m always at the doctor, so I need this insurance.” Williams’ viral comments about health insurance illustrate the frustration and confusion that many workers, including those who leave their employer, have about health insurance coverage and costs, experts said. It also signals a need for greater communication and education about COBRA information from employers, as well as information about benefits more generally. (Mayer, 8/5)
